All Saints' CofE School

All Saints’ CofE School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 28–29 June 2012 Inspection number 378451 Unique Reference Number 112272 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 378451 Inspection dates 28–29 June 2012 Lead inspector David Byrne

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 201 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Eric Nicholson Headteacher Nicola Smallwood Date of previous school inspection 23 October 2008 School address Slatefell Drive Cockermouth CA13 9BH Telephone number 01900 325938 Fax number 01900 325938 Email address head@allsaints.cumbria.sch.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

David Byrne John Ellwood Additional Inspector Additional Inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed 13 lessons taught by eight teachers and teaching assistants. One of these was a joint observation with the headteacher. Inspectors talked with parents and carers, groups of pupils, staff and members of the governing body. The inspectors listened to pupils’ reading across the age range. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at the school’s self-evaluation, samples of the pupils’ work, the school improvement plan, safeguarding documentation, pupils’ behaviour logs and minutes of governing body meetings. Inspectors looked at questionnaires completed by pupils and staff and 63 questionnaires received from parents and carers. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line (Parent View) survey in planning the inspection.

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Information about the school

This is a smaller than average size primary school. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is average. The vast majority of pupils is of White British heritage. A Strategic Resource Provision Facility is incorporated into the school. It is for pupils with a statement of special educational needs within the autistic range and is the responsibility of the governing body. This facility is a significant factor in the high percentage of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs. The proportion of pupils supported by School Action Plus or with a statement of special education needs, who are not in the Resource Provision Facility, is broadly average. The proportion of pupils joining the school at times other than normal is above average because many join the Resource Provision Facility from other schools. The school meets the current floor standards which set the

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Information about the school

government’s minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

Since the previous inspection there have been some staff changes. This has included the departure of a senior member of staff and the appointment in September 2011 of a new manager for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs across the school and also for pupils in the Resource Provision Facility.

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Information about the school

The school has achieved Healthy School status and holds numerous awards, including the Gold Sing-Up award, the Artsmark, an Activemark and an International School Award. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 This is a good school. It is not yet outstanding because the most-able pupils could do better and attainment in reading lags a little behind that in writing and mathematics.

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Key Findings

 Excellent care and inclusion for all pupils, in particular for those with a statement of special educational needs, contribute to pupils making good progress. Pupils thrive on an excellently enriched curriculum. This enables them to participate in a host of outdoor experiences, including regular residential activities, partake in a variety of musical activities and acquire a good understanding of French. Such experiences contribute to pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and to their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Excellent management of pupils with challenging behaviour ensures that behaviour is good and at times exemplary.

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Key Findings

 Achievement is good. From just below typical starting points on entry to nursery, attainment rises at a good rate. By the end of Year 6, the proportion exceeding national expectations in both English and mathematics is above average.

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Key Findings

 Good teaching and interesting lessons generate first-rate relationships between staff and pupils. Assessment is used well overall to match work to the needs of most pupils but not always for the most-able. At times teachers are too cautious to trust pupils to work independently. Pupils understand how to improve their writing and mathematics but are not sure of their targets in reading.

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Key Findings

 Strong and visionary leadership by the headteacher ensures the good leadership of teaching and the effective management of the school’s performance. New ideas to move the school forward are willingly embraced. For example, recent initiatives to accelerate progress in reading are closing the gap in attainment with writing and mathematics. All leaders carry out their responsibilities diligently and the management of the Resource Provision Facility is very effective. The vast majority of parents and carers appreciate the good education provided for their children.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment in reading to match that of writing and mathematics by: - strengthening pupils’ understanding of their targets for improvement in reading - providing regular opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own progress in reading - making accurate checks on the impact of initiatives being introduced to accelerate learning in reading.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that more-able pupils are more consistently challenged by: - making sure that the needs of more-able pupils are identified and more appropriately planned for in lessons - widening opportunities for pupils to work independently and have more say in what and how they learn.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ overall achievement is good, given their skills on entry, which are generally below those expected, particularly in speech and language development. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage settle happily. The wide variety of experiences supports their good progress. The percentage of pupils reaching the expected levels at the end of Year 2 is broadly average. The large majority of pupils of all backgrounds and abilities makes good progress. By the end of Year 6, the percentage of pupils reaching or exceeding the expectations for their age is typically above average in writing and mathematics. Many also develop an advanced knowledge for their age of music, French and aspects of outdoor education.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ learning in lessons is good. They show a good interest in the activities provided, especially when using a practical approach. For example, pupils in Year 4 enjoyed exploring the features of a skeleton by using mathematics and their information and communication technology (ICT) skills to gather their own information.

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Achievement of pupils

Staff have worked closely with other professionals and schools to improve pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics and more recently in reading. As a result, progress has accelerated. This is particularly the case in writing. The introduction of more regular slots for promoting writing and a consistent approach to the way it is taught has raised pupils’ attainment to above average. Attainment in reading at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 is broadly average. Pupils are interested in reading a variety of books. Older pupils talk enthusiastically about a good range of authors and are proud that they have met a popular children’s author who visited the school. Pupils write in a variety of styles, including poetry, to express their ideas. Their structuring of sentences, in terms of correct punctuation, spelling and grammar is generally accurate. Pupils have secure mathematical calculation skills and are

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Achievement of pupils

developing their expertise in applying these to solve problems in real-life situations.

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Achievement of pupils

In their questionnaires, the vast majority of parents and carers agreed that their children make good progress at the school. Inspection evidence confirms this view, although there are occasions when the more-able pupils could do better. This is exemplified during a mathematics lesson when pupils spent too long listening to the teacher rather than getting down to task. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs across the school and those attending the Resource Provision Facility make the same good progress as others do. This is because their needs are clearly understood and high-quality support is provided to ensure that they are met.

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Quality of teaching

The overwhelming view of pupils and parents and carers is that teaching is good. The inspection findings are that teaching is good, with outstanding elements.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers and support staff have excellent relationships with the pupils. These contribute to their positive attitudes to learning and excellent levels of inclusion. Pupils from the Resource Provision Facility are very skilfully supported so that they are totally included in school life. In the very best lessons, pupils are encouraged to think for themselves. They are given time to debate and discuss their ideas and use their own initiative to come up with their own findings or solutions. This was evident in a Year 6 mathematics lesson where pupils were thoroughly challenged in seeking their own ways of solving word problems. In the few instances where teaching requires improvement, the expectations are too low for pupils to work independently. In such cases, teachers talk for too long and pupils do not get actively involved quickly enough. This reduces progress - particularly for the most-able pupils.

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Quality of teaching

Effective teaching is contributing to the acceleration of pupils’ progress in reading. In the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1, staff have successfully refined the strategies for encouraging pupils to link letters and sounds (phonics). This is boosting pupils’ confidence to read challenging words. Teachers have successfully increased pupils’ confidence to write. The use of story books to promote an interest amongst pupils in reading is also boosting their desire to learn. For example, Year 2 pupils were totally engrossed in a book called ‘Egg Drop’. This prompted much learning about the science of eggs, provoked writing and also led to design and technology problem-solving activities. All pupils were engrossed in finding out if their designs protected a real egg and actually saved it from breaking when dropped. Teachers make good use of ICT to enhance pupils’ learning. For example, in Year 4,

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Quality of teaching

pupils enthusiastically completed an on-line quiz linked to their study of skeletons.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers make good use of opportunities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral and social understanding. The use of assessment and marking to support pupils’ learning is effective in writing and mathematics. Pupils are unsure of their targets for improvement in reading. Pupils are involved in evaluating how well they have done and know how to correct mistakes or misunderstandings in writing and mathematics, but less so in reading. Assessment for pupils in the Resource Provision Facility is accurate. Improvement is under way to refine the way individual progress is recorded over time.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Almost all parents and carers who returned the questionnaire concur with inspection findings when they say that behaviour is good and that their children feel safe in school. Pupils confirm this. They understand the different forms of bullying, including teasing others according to their looks, disabilities or backgrounds. Pupils know how to stay safe, for example, when using the internet and when they are near roads.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school manages pupils’ behaviour extremely well. The school is calm and orderly. Pupils are courteous and respectful to one another and to adults and they typically behave well in lessons and around the school. Pupils with behavioural difficulties respond positively to excellent support. Their behaviour rarely upsets others.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils grow into mature young citizens with the skills and attitudes to make the best of their next stage of education. The pupils’ voice is valued and influences aspects of decision making within school. Pupils are proud of their achievements in generating much money for a wide variety of causes. The school is working with families to reduce pupils’ absence and as a result, attendance is improving, although it is average.

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Leadership and management

The school’s leaders set high expectations for pupils’ achievement and have secured good improvement since the previous inspection. All leaders are involved in improving the quality of teaching. For example, professional development has involved teachers observing one another and working together to secure accurate assessment of pupils’ work. This has contributed to a more consistent approach in the classroom and has accelerated pupils’ progress across the school. While monitoring and evaluation are accurate generally, new initiatives are not always checked rigorously enough to ensure they have had the desired impact on pupils’ outcomes.

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Leadership and management

The governing body supports the school well and successfully holds it to account. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet requirements. Careful checks ensure that pupils are safe and that risks are assessed and minimised. Wise spending has enabled high-quality resources for learning with excellent resources for playing and learning in the school grounds.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum enables pupils to acquire good skills in writing and mathematics, and promotes their good spiritual, moral and social development. The enrichment activities are outstanding. Every pupil from Year 2 upwards has access to residential stays which offer opportunities to engage with the natural environment through, for example, ghyll climbing, orienteering and kayaking. Pupils develop the confidence to perform in front of others by singing in regional events at venues, such as the Sage Centre in Gateshead. Such experiences, together with links with a school in Ghana and visits to places of worship of different religions, add effectively to pupils’ cultural development. Equality of opportunity and strategies to tackle discrimination are extremely well promoted. Very strong relationships with parents and carers promote good engagement in their children’s education. Good partnerships with other schools

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Leadership and management

benefit pupils, for example, by easing the transition of pupils moving on to the next stage of their education. Particular care is taken to ensure a smooth transfer of pupils with a statement of special educational needs. The school has a good capacity for further improvement.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add up exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school's efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of All Saints’ C of E School, Cockermouth, CA13 9BH

Thank you very much for such a friendly welcome when I and my colleague came to inspect your school. It was a privilege to meet you and hear about the many exciting activities that you do. I learned from you and your teachers about your high-quality music and choir and about the wide range of educational visits you enjoy.

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Inspection of All Saints’ C of E School, Cockermouth, CA13 9BH

I was very impressed by your good and at times excellent behaviour. Your politeness and good manners are a credit to you all. It is so good to know that you care and look out for each other. I was also pleased to see that your attendance is improving.

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Inspection of All Saints’ C of E School, Cockermouth, CA13 9BH

Yours is a good school. You make good progress and achieve well in writing and mathematics and also music, French and outdoor activities. You are right in your view that teaching is good. Teachers usually make lessons interesting and they teach you well, just as you said in your questionnaires. The school leaders work hard to make sure you get a good education. They manage the school well.

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Inspection of All Saints’ C of E School, Cockermouth, CA13 9BH

Your parents and carers, the governing body and teachers are rightly proud of your school. They would like it to be as good as it can be, as I am sure you do. To help that to happen I have asked the teachers to do two things. The first is to work with you to make sure that you improve your reading even more. The second thing is to give you more opportunities to work independently so that there is more challenge for those of you who find learning easier than most.

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Inspection of All Saints’ C of E School, Cockermouth, CA13 9BH

I know that you will continue to work hard and I wish you every success in the future.

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Inspection of All Saints’ C of E School, Cockermouth, CA13 9BH

David Byrne Lead Inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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